Thumb shift for typewriters



Feb. 13, 1934. N. A. YOUNG 1,947,143

THUMB SHIFT FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed Feb. 28. 1933 Inventor [Oil M4229 B1? QM 40/62.

/I Home y Patented Feb. 13, 1934 STAT PATENT OFFEE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an attachment for typewriters, the general object of the invention being to provide means whereby the operator of the typewriter can operate the shift key thereof 5 by one of his thumbs, thus avoiding the operation of the shift key by a small finger which causes fatigue of the said finger.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the keyboard of a typewriter showing the invention in use.

Fig. 2 is a View of the attachment.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a bar 26 or rod which is formed with a substantially straight intermediate part with one end bent at substantially right angles to provide the inwardly and upwardly extending part 2, the upwardly extending part 3, the forwardly and upwardly 30 extending part 4 which terminates in the substantially hook-shaped part 5 which is flattened as shown to provide a thumb engaging part. The other end portion of the rod is offset inwardly as shown at 6 and then bent at substantially right angles to provide the inwardly extending part '7 which extends under the shank of the shift key 8 of the typewriter. The free end of this part '7 is flattened and formed with an opening as shown at 9 so that it can be fastened to the shank 40 of the shift key by a hook or the like as shown The straight intermediate portion has a pair of clamping plates 11 hingedly connected thereto to clamp the front bar of the typewriter frame 13 with a portion of the right hand end of the rod extending around the space bar of the typewriter as shown in Fig. 1 so that the thumb part 5 can be struck by the thumb of the left hand.

When pressure is applied to this thumb part the rod is rocked so that the portion '7 depresses the shift key 8. Thus the operator can operate the shift mechanism of the typewriter by a slight pressure of the thumb of the left hand without removing the fingers from the keyboard and without fatigue of the small fingers which are used now to operate the shift key.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is:

An attachment for a typewriter comprising a bar having a substantially straight intermediate part, clamping means engaging the front part of the typewriter frame and rotatably supporting said intermediate portion of the barunder the lower edge of said front part of the frame, said bar, at one end, being bent to form an inwardly extending arm having an upstanding part connected with its inner end and a forwardly and upwardly sloping part connected with the upper end of the upstanding part, with a flattened forwardly and downwardly extending hookshaped part connected with the upper end of the forwardly and upwardly sloping part, said flat tened part forming a thumb engaging part, the opposite end of the bar being bent to provide an inwardly extending arm and means for connecting the extremity of the last mentioned arm with the shank of the shift key of the typewriter, with the parts of the first mentioned arm forming a space through which passes the space bar of the typewriter.

NOAH A. YOUNG. 

